MAKING A HORSE QUIET TO MOUNT.

To make a horse quiet to mount, we must adopt a method by which we can easily stop him from annoying the rider, or preventing him from getting into the saddle. Let us examine the means we should employ, and let us place ourselves in such a position that we will be able to circumvent any defence which his instinct or bad habits may prompt him to make.

The vicious or restive horse rears, lashes out, strikes with his near forefoot, or cow-kicks with his near hind. With such an animal we should make use of the lunging rein and driving whip, and make a feint of putting a foot in the stirrup while standing close to the near shoulder. If he rears, we can hit him thoroughly with the lash of the whip across his buttocks. As he is held by the lunging rein, we can remain sufficiently far away from him to avoid being struck. Every time he rears we should begin again until he yields. If he reins back, we should employ similar methods. If he kicks, raise his head and loudly scold him. If he strikes out in front, cut him with the driving whip on the offending leg.

Besides horses which resist in this manner, there are others which are simply timid, nervous, restless, ticklish, or irritable, and which do not remain as quiet as they ought to do, although they do not really " show fight." What will they do? They will perform only four movements—namely, go forward, run back, shy off to the right or to the left, against which we should act as follows :

I take the near rein of the snaffle in my left hand, and with the same hand I catch hold of the mane at about the middle of the neck in such a manner that there is a slight tension on the rein which I hold. I pass my right hand, in which I have my cutting whip, over the neck, seize with it the off snaffle rein, which I draw up only slightly, and finally take hold of the pommel of the saddle with the right hand (Fig. 15).